Zipper pull



Nov. 5, 1957 s. w. JORDAN ZIPPER PULL Filed July 15, 1954 INVENTOR. 5n VIA WEL TEI? Jam/w BY AT ORA/5Y5 United States Patent 2,811,763 ZIPPER PULL Silvia Welter Jordan, Palisades Park, N. J. Application July 15, 1954, Serial No. 443,584 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-205) The invention relates to a device for assisting in zipping and unzipping zipper type fasteners.

Many garments, particularly in womens wear, are made with zipper type fasteners (Talon and the like) extending up the back or in other places diflicult for the wearer to reach when dressing or undressing without assistance of another person. It is an object of my invention to provide a device which will make it easy for a person to zip up and unzip a fastener extending up the back of her own dress, bathing suit or other garment.

In accordance with my invention, a hook for engagement with the pull tab of the runner of a conventional zipper type fastener has a spacing member, preferably in the form of a disc, projecting laterally from the hook to hold the tab-engaging portion of the hook away from the teeth of the zipper so that the zipper tab is maintained in unlocked position when the hook is pulled to open the zipper. A pull cord is attached to the hook. The spacing member has a central opening to receive the stern of the hook and is slidable along the stem to lock the hook to the pull tab of the zipper. This slidable spacing member controls the action of a spring locking tongue so the latter can be released readily for removal of the hook after each use. Other features and advantages of my invention will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the best mode known to me for carrying out my invention:

Fig. 1 is a detail View of the hook and spacing collar, in locked position, the spacing collar being shown in central vertical cross-section.

Fig. 2 is a detail view similar to Fig. 1, with the collar moved into unlocking position.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical cross sectional view illustrating the use of my device in opening a conventional type of zipper fastener.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the use of my device in closing a zipper fastener.

Fig. 5 further illustrates the operation of Fig. 4, where the fastener extends up the back of a womans dress and locks at the neck line.

In the preferred construction shown, my invention comprises a hook 6 for engagement with the pull tab 7 of a runner 8 of a conventional type of zipper having sets of interlocking teeth 9. An eye 10 provides means for attaching a pull cord 11 to the hook. A spacing member 12, preferably in the form of a circular disc as shown, projects laterally from the hack 6 to hold the tab-engaging portion 13 of the hook away from the zipper teeth 9 whereby the zipper tab 7 is maintained in unlocked posi tion when the hook is pulled to open the zipper as shown in Fig. 3. The spacing member 12 constitutes an important element of my combination structure because it prevents the locking projection 14 of the zipper tab from engaging the zipper and interfering with the operation. The pull applied through cord 11 is approximately in line with the fastener so that the spacing member 12 is held in about the position shown in Fig. 3. Note the clearance at a, and the resulting angular relation between tab 7 and zipper teeth 9, holding locking projection 14 in inoperative position. Also as shown in Fig. 4, the spacing member 12 holds the hook away from the zipper with the pull tab 7 extending outwardly in a position inclined away from the zipper teeth 9.

Spacing member 12 has a central opening 15 to receive 2,811 ,763 Patented Nov. 5, 1957 the stem 16 of the hook, and is slidable along the stem to lock the hook to the pull tab of the zipper, Fig. 1. In my preferred construction, the hook is bent back on itself at the eye 10 to provide a spring locking tongue 17 extending adjacent the stem portion 16. The spacing collar 12 may comprise a tubular portion 18 having a circular disc-like flange 19 forming the main spacing element of the collar. Note that when collar 12 is moved into the position shown in Fig. 2, the locking tongue 17 is held in open position making it extremely easy to unhook my zipper puller even though the zipper is in a position rather hard to reach. If desired, a stop 20 may be provided, as by putting a double bend in the stem 16, further to insure ease of unhooking the zipper puller.

If desired, the device may be snapped onto the zipper tab without moving collar 12 from the position shown in Fig. 1. If, during the zipping operation, there is some tendency for the collar to be pulled into the position shown in Fig. 2, this will only simplify further the step of unhooking the puller when the job is done, and so long as a steady pull is maintained on the cord 11 there is little risk of premature unhooking of the puller. It will be understood that the spacer feature may, if desired, be used independently of the slide-locking feature for tongue latch 17.

The hook 6 may conveniently be made of metal wire, and the spacing collar 12 of molded plastic, although other materials may be employed as desired. If the tubular portion 18 of the spacing collar be made of rubber or other resilient material, this will facilitate its assembly with the hook 6 when the latter is preformed with an eye 10 which is slightly larger than the central opening 15 of the spacing member. Otherwise the stem 16 may, for assembly purposes, be formed originally without an enlarged end and the eye will then be formed only after stem 16 of the hook has been inserted through opening 15 when it can be held in a vise and a pointed tool be driven between the two sections of the stem to form the eye. When the eye is thus formed after assembly of the hook with the spacing member, the eye serves to lock the two members in assembled relation.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used in a descriptive and not a limiting sense, and I have no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described, or of portions thereof, as fall within the purview of the claim.

I claim: 7

In a zipper fastener for a garment, a hook for engagement with the lock-type pull tab of a zipper runner, means for attaching a pull cord to said hook, and a locking member surrounding the stem of the hook and slidable along the stem with means to lock the hook to the pull tab of the zipper, said locking member having a disc-like flange projecting laterally of the major axis of the stern of the hook and extending substantially beyond the hook at all points of the periphery of the flange to provide a fulcrum for the hook whereby a pull on the cord in line with the zipper holds the tab-engaging portion of the hook at an angle suflicient to maintain the zipper tab in unlocked position when the hook is pulled to open the zipper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 218,211 Anderson Aug. 5, 1879 1,275,842 Callahan Aug. 13, 1918 1,925,816 Oster Sept. 5, 1933 2,531,805 Clark Nov. 28, 1950 2,756,478 Morrissey July 31, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 123,360 Australia Feb. 6, 1947 

